[ "Found it." Deep in the forest, Subaru arrived in front of an ancient-looking white house.
Isn't this… ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Isn't that the place where Natsuki-san was imprisoned?"
Otto said.
"This great self seems to know what the boss wants to do."
Garfiel said.
—
[ "Ugh… that smell is still here. But I have to go in… as the saying goes, if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub." Subaru slowly walked towards the entrance of the house. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Ah? This great self's ass?"
"How vulgar."
—
[ "The indentation on the wall… so this is the 'memory's'… oh?" Subaru walked inside and noticed a prominent indentation.
"What happens if I put it in?" Subaru took out the pyroxene Frederica had given him and placed it into the indentation.
Then, light spilled out. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Just as this great self thought. The boss is getting closer and closer to the truth."
Garfiel said.
"By the way, how did Natsuki-san know about this?"
Otto questioned.
"He probably noticed it during the time he was imprisoned, right?"
Garfiel pondered.
"But the environment was so dark, and he was blindfolded with his hands tied. How could he know?"
"Uh… that seems true too. How did the boss know?"
"Hmm? Should the gentlemen look away… oh, they're wearing clothes."
On the other side, Anastasia looked at the screen and said.
—
[ "Whoa, whoa…" Subaru couldn't help but call out.
Subaru had triggered the mechanism, revealing a hidden room. Walking inside, what Subaru saw was a giant, glowing blue crystal, and inside it was a girl who looked naked at first glance, but was actually wearing a simple dress.
"Is… this… Miss Ryuzu?"
Indeed, this girl was Ryuzu.
"Not just the crystal, but the atmosphere of this room- what on earth is going on…" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Another Miss Ryuzu?"
Otto questioned.
"It is quite nostalgic."
Roswaal said.
"Ryuzu…"
On the other side, Beatrice softly called out her name. Then, Beatrice slowly spoke:
"She is not a copy. She is the real Ryuzu, Ryuzu Meyer."
"Eh? The real… Ryuzu?"
Emilia tilted her head.
"Precisely as it sounds, the real Ryuzu. The other copies, like Bilma, all come from her."
Beatrice explained.
"Ah, the old hag has rushed over upon hearing the noise!"
"Grandmother is here."
Garfiel and Frederica said in unison.
—
[ "Coming here made me understand. I had a premonition like this; did I guess right?" Subaru asked himself.
"It is hard to say. This old self is not sure if I have the answers that Su-boy wants." Ryuzu's voice rang out.
It seemed Subaru was not talking to himself, but had noticed her arrival.
"From the moment I came here, that excuse of yours stopped working, didn't it?"
Subaru smiled wryly and turned back, looking at the two Ryuzus.
Distinguishing them by their clothes, one was Ryuzu Bilma, and the other was just an unconscious doll.
"I really did not expect the truth to be uncovered by Su-boy, who has only been here for half a day. This old self has lived here long enough, and there are not many things that can surprise this old self like this."
"It's not my credit. It's thanks to 'memory' that I was able to find this place."
"Memory, of all things. That is indeed a strange answer. Whose memory is it, anyway?"
"Well, whose could it be? I think it must be the 'memory' of someone who knows this place." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"What the heck?"
Felt was a bit baffled.
What was all this talk about memories?
"The only connection should be that, right? When he was swallowed by the Witch of Envy."
Yuriusu said.
Many people had been swallowed, so when Subaru arrived in that space of darkness, he learned about this from the 'memories' of those who had been swallowed.
And Subaru couldn't explain it in detail. First, he was worried about violating the taboo, and even if he didn't, the other party probably wouldn't understand, and might even think Subaru had gone mad.
Something about the Witch of Envy reappearing, killing everyone, and then madly confessing her love to him.
They would probably think he had some kind of delusion.
—
[ "In fact, using myself as bait to draw out Miss Ryuzu wasn't completely reckless, right?"
"So it was a gamble. Did Su-boy never think that if Gar-boy found out, you would get beaten up?"
"I did, so before I came, I begged Ram to stall him. Right now, Garfiel has been called out by his beloved, so he should be completely spellbound. In the meantime, I'll have a date with Miss Ryuzu." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Hmph, Ram has done a great deed. And Barusu, you better hurry up and gather information; stalling Garfiel is very exhausting."
"Is talking to this great self that exhausting?!"
"Talking to an idiot is mentally draining."
"Huh?!"
—
[ "Though this old self does not know what a date means… still, I cannot defy Su-boy right now. Both this old self and this girl are at Su-boy's disposal."
"Backing down to this extent makes me feel quite lost! Anyway, I just want to ask a few things. If possible, I hope I can help out in the future…"
"There is no need to worry. This old self said it, right? I cannot defy Su-boy."
"Ah?"
"I cannot defy the Apostle of Greed, for this is a binding contract forced upon us copies of Ryuzu Meyer." Bilma smiled weakly. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Disciple of Greed? Did Subaru become Echidna's disciple?"
Emilia was puzzled.
"I am sorry, but the position of student is occupied solely by me. It is not 'disciple', but the 'Apostle of Greed'."
Roswaal explained.
"Apostle of Greed?"
"Where should I begin explaining… I shall keep it brief. Those who can take the trials and obtain Teacher's approval are the Apostles of Greed, who hold the authority to issue absolute, undeniable commands to the copies of Ryuzu."
Roswaal said.
"I see…"
Otto recalled the previous loop, where Garfiel had led the Ryuzu copies to attack the Witch of Envy.
That explained it. After all, they were unconscious, so how could they do such a thing? It made sense if they were following Garfiel's orders.
—
[ "Here is some hot tea. Does Su-boy need this old self to blow on it to cool it down?"
"I'm not a kid; I won't drink in such a rush that I burn my mouth."
"This old self has a restless child with a sensitive tongue nearby, so this old self has developed the habit of reminding people."
Subaru, Bilma, and the Ryuzu doll arrived in a room. Subaru and the Ryuzu doll sat on the bed, while Bilma sat on a chair.
"Alright. You just mentioned that restless person, and here I am rushing in. Although it might be a bit inappropriate, can we get to the main point?"
"How impatient. However, this old self has neither the reason nor the right to refuse. Have it your way, Su-boy."
"Being so straightforward is a huge help… though the reason for your compliance seems to be this 'Apostle of Greed' thing. What exactly is that?"
The two of them officially began their conversation. ]
.....